Watershed Protection – Snyder County, PA Government

Overview

Everyone lives in a watershed. A watershed is a section of land that drains toward a lake, stream or river.

In Snyder County, all surface water eventually flows toward the Susquehanna River. Below is a diagram and description of the various watersheds within the county.

In some sections of western Snyder County, streams flow into the Juniata River, which eventually goes to the Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg.
In southern Snyder County, water first enters the North Branch or West Branch of the Mahantango Creek before reaching the Susquehanna River at the Snyder-Juniata County Line.
In many places in northeastern Snyder County, streams flow into the lower sections of Penns Creek, which eventually flows into the Susquehanna River south of Selinsgrove.
In a large portion of County, water flows into tributaries and the main stem of Middle Creek. Middle Creek flows into Penns Creek just short of the Susquehanna River.
Some areas of eastern Snyder County have streams that flow directly into the Susquehanna River.

No matter what happens upstream, it affects stream quality downstream, the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Watershed Improvement & Action

Snyder County's Countywide Action Plan (CAP)

Taken from PA DEP CAP Website:

Forty-three of Pennsylvania’s counties contain waterways that drain to either the Susquehanna or the Potomac rivers. This effort is part of the Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan (Phase 3 WIP). State agencies, led by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), are working with interested parties in the counties whose local waters run to the Chesapeake Bay to create Countywide Action Plans (CAPs). These plans will outline how each county’s share of the state’s 2025 pollution reduction goals will be met. EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program has modeled Chesapeake Bay pollution sources including pollution entering Pennsylvania’s waterways and where it originates. Each Pennsylvania county has its own goal to reduce its share of pollution. Some counties have more work to do than others. The Phase 3 WIP Steering Committee grouped the 43 counties into tiers. Tier 1 counties have the most pollution to reduce, and Tier 4 counties have the least.

The state believes that the path to success starts at the local level. County partners understand their communities, economy, waterways, and challenges better than anybody. If you get involved in this process at the local level, you will have a say in how the county’s pollution reduction goals are met. You can shape the mix of solutions that are chosen within your county—and make a difference for your community.

It is important to note that the county clean water goals do NOT establish any new requirement of regulatory obligations on counites. The goals are simply a way for Pennsylvania to engage with local partners on shared issues and focus resources on efforts that help Pennsylvania reach its Chesapeake Bay goals. This empowers communities to lead efforts to improve their own local water quality using the most beneficial methods for their stakeholders and residents Designated countywide groups (partnerships, local governments, county conservation districts, and other identified stakeholders) will utilize the following templates, to report priority initiatives and planned actions to achieve necessary reductions.

To view the Snyder County CAP, click here to go to the DEP CAP website .

Rapid Stream Delisting Program

From Chesapeake Conservancy’s website:

Chesapeake Conservancy is a nonprofit organization based in Annapolis, Maryland. We are a team of conservation entrepreneurs. We believe that the Chesapeake is a national treasure that should be accessible for everyone and a place where wildlife can thrive. We use technology to enhance the pace and quality of conservation, and we help build parks, trails, and public access sites.

The Conservancy uses technology to identify small watersheds (currently containing DEP identified impaired streams) where a.) nutrient and sediment conservation best management practices (BMPs) are installed (such as streambank fencing, riparian buffers, etc.) and b.) when implemented, these stream segments can be removed from DEP’s impaired streams list.

Three small watersheds within Snyder County were identified by Chesapeake Conservancy. They are:

Western section of North Branch Mahantango Creek
Western section of West Branch Mahantango Creek
Headwaters of Susquehecka Creek

To view these and all the central PA watersheds identified with hopes to have them delisted if more BMPs are on the ground, go to the Chesapeake Conservancy arcgis.com site here . For more information about Chesapeake Conservancy and its Rapid Stream Delisting Program, contact Adrienne Gemberling, Senior Project Manager, Natural Sciences Center at Susquehanna University, 514 University AVE, Selinsgrove, PA 17870 (570-444-9200).

SCCD ACAP Policy Change TThe Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) will now be accepting Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) applications from farmers on a continuing basis. Submitted ACAP applications will be reviewed during the next quarterly Local Advisory Board (LAB) meeting. LAB meetings will be held on the third Friday of March, June, September and December unless publicized otherwise. Project contracts will be ranked and awarded as funding permits and at the discretion of the LAB. The LAB operates in any capacity set forth by the SCCD Board of Directors. All applications for funding must be acted on by the SCCD’s Board of Directors at a “sun-shined” publicly advertised meeting. All applicants should be notified in writing of the funding decisions made by the SCCD Board of Directors. The SCCD may retain unfunded ACAP applications on file for two (2) years set by the LAB for future allocations. The applicant may revise or withdraw an application at any time. For more information about ACAP in Snyder County, please reach out to Lauren Cheran, SCCD Program Administrator, at 570-837-3000 x2.